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Finally. For the first time under Head Coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams are 2-1.
It took a game out of a novelist’s mind to get there, but we did. Now having bounced Seattle and Tampa Bay in successive weeks, the Rams prep for an Arizona game that could give them an unknown quantity for the Rams for more than a decade: legitimacy.
Consider that opportunity (of legitimacy, not the game itself) as we peruse the power rankings following Week 3.
Average ranking (# of rankings) | 20.57 (7) |
Average change from last week | +4.14 |
Highest ranking (source) | 18th (multiple sources) |
Lowest ranking (source) | 24th (ESPN) |
Biggest positive change (source) | +7 (Pro Football Talk) |
Biggest negative change (source) | +1 (Yahoo! Sports) |
SB Nation: 22nd (28th last week)
The Rams' two most recent 30-point games have been against the Buccaneers, so let's just chalk the Week 3 scoring outburst to having Tampa's number. If the Rams can put up points against the Cardinals in Arizona, then maybe we can start taking Case Keenum & Co. seriously.
How the Rams, who looked so atrocious in Week 1, could bounce back to beat the Seahawks and then drop the Bucs on the road is anyone's guess. Never underestimate athletic pride. In other words, perhaps the butt-kicking this group took in San Francisco fed into their emotional win over Seattle. Resilience was the name of the game in Tampa, especially on defense. First there was the strip-sack by Robert Quinn that Ethan Westbrooks took to the house. Then, the Rams' D held the fort on Jameis Winston's final salvo, earning them this win.
CBS Sports: 18th (22nd)
Don't look now, but they are tied for first place. That's all because of the defense.
Yahoo! Sports: 22nd (23rd)
It’s OK not to believe in this team. The memories of watching them at the 49ers in Week 1, looking incompetent against a really bad team, are going to stick for awhile.
Pro Football Talk: 19th (26th)
Given Jeff Fisher’s mastery of the Buccaneers, maybe his next job should be in the NFC South.
FOX Sports: 18th (22nd)
Which team leads the NFC West? It’s those same Rams who were blanked by the 49ers in Week 1. The defense has played extremely well thus far and while the offense is still far from explosive, Todd Gurley found some running lanes, which is promising. Still, they’re far from a threat to the Cardinals or Seahawks.